Hydrangea plant named ‘HP219902’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea plant named ‘HP219902’, characterized by its upright to somewhat outwardly spreading and rounded to conical plant habit; vigorous growth habit and moderate growth rate; freely branching habit with strong, thick and sturdy stems that are reddish brown in color; freely and uniformly flowering habit; large inflorescences with numerous yellow green-colored sterile flowers that maintain their yellow green-color in the autumn; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Hydrangea paniculata.

Cultivar denomination: ‘HP219902’.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO CLOSELY-RELATED APPLICATIONS

Title: Hydrangea Plant Named ‘HP219901’

Inventor: Niels Arts

Filed: Concurrently with this application Ser. No. 16/873,544

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTOR & APPLICANT

An European Community Plant Breeder's Rights application for the instantplant was filed by the Applicant, Hydrangea Breeders Association B.V. ofDe Kwakel, The Netherlands, on Dec. 5, 2019, application number2019/3317. Foreign priority is not claimed to this application.

The Inventor and Applicant assert that no publications noradvertisements relating to sales, offers for sale or public distributionoccurred more than one year prior to the effective filing date of thisapplication. Any information about the claimed plant would have beenobtained from a direct or indirect disclosure from the Inventor orApplicant. Inventor and Applicant claim a prior art exemption under 35U.S.C. 102(b)(1) for disclosure and/or sales prior to the filing datebut less than one year prior to the effective filing date.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofHydrangea plant, botanically known as Hydrangea paniculata, commerciallyreferred to as a panicle Hydrangea and hereinafter referred to by thename ‘HP219902’.

The new Hydrangea plant is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventor in De Kwakel, The Netherlands and Lengerich,Germany. The objective of the breeding program was to create new compactand freely-branching Hydrangea plants with strong sturdy stems, largeinflorescences with numerous showy sterile flowers, attractive sterileflower color and good garden performance.

The new Hydrangea plant originated from a cross-pollination made by theInventor in August, 2012 in De Kwakel, The Netherlands, of a proprietaryselection of Hydrangea paniculata identified as code number 11-0007, notpatented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection ofHydrangea paniculata identified as code number 11-0005, not patented, asthe male, or pollen, patent. The new Hydrangea plant was discovered andselected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within theprogeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouseenvironment in Lengerich, Germany in September, 2014.

Asexual reproduction of the new Hydrangea plant by vegetative tipcuttings in a controlled environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands sinceMarch, 2016 has shown that the unique features of this new Hydrangeaplant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Hydrangea have not been observed under all possiblecombinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. Thephenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditionssuch as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variancein genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘HP219902’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘HP219902’ as a new and distinct Hydrangeaplant:

-   -   1. Upright to somewhat outwardly spreading and rounded to        conical plant habit.    -   2. Vigorous growth habit and moderate growth rate.    -   3. Freely branching habit with strong, thick and sturdy stems        that are reddish brown in color.    -   4. Freely and uniformly flowering habit.    -   5. Large inflorescences with numerous yellow green-colored        sterile flowers that maintain their yellow green-color in the        autumn.    -   6. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Hydrangea can be compared to plants of the femaleparent selection. Plants of the new Hydrangea differ primarily fromplants of the female parent selection in flowering response as plants ofthe new Hydrangea flower later than plants of the female parentselection.

Plants of the new Hydrangea can be compared to plants of the male parentselection. Plants of the new Hydrangea differ primarily from plants ofthe male parent selection in inflorescence size as plants of the newHydrangea have larger inflorescences than plants of the male parentselection.

Plants of the new Hydrangea can be compared to plants of the Hydrangeapaniculata ‘HP219901’, disclosed in a U.S. Plant Patent applicationfiled concurrently. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the newHydrangea differ primarily from plants of ‘HP219901’ in the followingcharacteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Hydrangea are smaller than plants of        ‘HP219901’.    -   2. Plants of the new Hydrangea are not as freely branching as        plants of ‘HP219901’.    -   3. Plants of the new Hydrangea have slightly smaller leaves than        plants of ‘HP219901’.    -   4. Plants of the new Hydrangea have slightly smaller        inflorescences with fewer fertile and sterile flowers than        plants of ‘HP219901’.    -   5. Sterile flowers of inflorescences of plants of the new        Hydrangea maintain their yellow green color in the autumn        whereas sterile flowers of inflorescences of plants of        ‘HP219901’ become blushed with dark pink in the autumn.

Plants of the new Hydrangea can also be compared to plants of theHydrangea paniculata ‘HP217902’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No.30,332. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Hydrangea differprimarily from plants of ‘HP217902’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Hydrangea are more vigorous than and not as        compact as plants of ‘HP217902’.    -   2. Lateral branches of plants of the new Hydrangea are sturdier        and stronger than lateral branches of plants of ‘HP217902’.    -   3. Plants of the new Hydrangea flower about three weeks later        than plants of ‘HP217902’.    -   4. Inflorescences of plants of the new Hydrangea are larger with        many more sterile and fertile flowers than inflorescences of        plants of ‘HP217902’.    -   5. Sterile flowers of inflorescences of plants of the new        Hydrangea maintain their yellow green color in the autumn        whereas sterile flowers of inflorescences of plants of        ‘HP217902’ become purplish pink in the autumn.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the unique appearance ofthe new Hydrangea plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newHydrangea plant.

The photograph on the first sheet (FIG. 1 of 2) is a side perspectiveview of a typical flowering plant of ‘HP219902’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet (FIG. 2 of 2) is a side perspectiveview of a typical flowering plant of ‘HP219902’ grown during the autumn.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used in the aforementioned photographs and in the followingdescription were grown during the late summer and autumn in 27-cmcontainers in an outdoor nursery in Lengerich, Germany and undercultural practices typical of commercial panicle Hydrangea production.During the production of the plants, day and night temperatures averaged15° C. Plants of the new Hydrangea 18 months old when the photograph(FIG. 1 of 2) and description were taken and 21 months old when thephotograph (FIG. 2 of 2) and autumnal color values were taken. In thefollowing description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 2015 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical description: Hydrangea paniculata ‘HP219902’.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Hydrangea            paniculata identified as code number 11-0007, not patented.        -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Hydrangea            paniculata identified as code number 11-0005, not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type cutting.—By vegetative tip cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About two weeks at            temperatures about 23° C.        -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 18 days at            temperatures about 18° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About four            weeks at temperatures about 23° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About five            weeks at temperatures about 18° C.        -   Root description.—Thick; typically whitish brown in color,            actual color of the roots is dependent on substrate            composition, water quality, fertilizer type and formulation,            substrate temperature and physiological age of roots.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense.-   Plant description:    -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Upright to somewhat outwardly            spreading and rounded to conical plant habit; strong and            sturdy stems; vigorous growth habit and moderate growth            rate.        -   Plant height.—About 48 cm to 55 cm.        -   Plant diameter or area of spread.—About 57 cm to 62 cm.-   Lateral branch description:    -   -   Branching habit.—Freely branching habit; when pinched, about            10 to 14 lateral branches develop per plant.        -   Length, stem axis to base of inflorescence.—About 26 cm to            38 cm.        -   Diameter.—About 6 mm to 7 mm.        -   Internode length.—About 3.5 cm to 4.5 cm.        -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous; fully developed, woody.        -   Aspect.—Mostly upright.        -   Strength.—Strong, sturdy.        -   Color.—When developing: Close to 145B to 145C; lenticels,            close to 165C. Developed: Close to 176B; lenticels, close to            165C.-   Leaf description:    -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite, simple.        -   Length.—About 7 cm to 10 cm.        -   Width.—About 4.5 cm to 6 cm.        -   Shape.—Ovate.        -   Apex.—Acute.        -   Base.—Obtuse.        -   Margin.—Serrulate.        -   Texture, upper surface.—Rugose; pubescent.        -   Texture, lower surface.—Prominent venation; glabrous.        -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.        -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to between            137A and 138A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to            138B. Fully developed leaves, upper surface: Close to 137B;            venation, close to 144B. Fully developed leaves, lower            surface: Close to 138B; venation, close to 145C.        -   Petioles.—Length: About 1 cm to 1.5 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm            to 2.5 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,            glabrous. Color, upper surface: Close to 145B tinged with            close to 178B. Color, lower surface: Close to 145C tinged            with close to 178B.-   Flower description:    -   -   Flower type and habit.—Showy sterile flowers and small            fertile flowers arranged on terminal panicles; panicles            broadly pyramidal in shape; flowers face upright to            outwardly depending on their position in the inflorescence.        -   Fragrance.—Faint, pleasant.        -   Natural flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about 18            weeks after planting; flowering begins in the early summer            and is continuous throughout the summer in Northern Europe.        -   Flower longevity.—Fertile flowers last about one month on            the plant, fertile flowers not persistent; sterile flowers            last about three months on the plant, sterile flowers            persistent.        -   Quantity of flowers.—Freely flowering habit; about 500 to            600 fertile flowers develop per panicle and about 1,000 to            1,200 sterile flowers develop per panicle.        -   Panicle height.—About 23 cm to 25 cm.        -   Panicle diameter.—About 18 cm to 23 cm.        -   Fertile flower buds.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About            2 mm. Shape: Rounded. Color: Close to 145C and 157A.        -   Sterile flower buds.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About            2 mm. Shape: Rounded. Color: Close to 145A.        -   Fertile flower diameter.—About 3 mm.        -   Fertile flower depth (height).—About 3 mm.        -   Sterile flower diameter.—About 2 cm to 2.5 cm.        -   Sterile flower depth (height).—About 3 mm.        -   Petals, fertile flowers.—Quantity and arrangement: About            four or five in a single whorl. Length: About 3 mm. Width:            About 2 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acute. Base: Obtuse. Margin:            Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous.            Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to            157D. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 157D;            color does not change with development.        -   Petals, sterile flowers.—Quantity and arrangement: About            three or four in a single whorl. Length: About 1.5 mm.            Width: About 1 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acute. Base: Cuneate.            Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,            glabrous. Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces:            Close to 157D. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close            to 157D; color does not change with development.        -   Sepals, fertile flowers.—Quantity and arrangement: About            four or five in a single whorl. Length: About 1 mm. Width:            About 1 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acute. Base: Obtuse. Margin:            Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous.            Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to            145B. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 145C;            color does not change with development.        -   Sepals, sterile flowers.—Quantity and arrangement: About            four in a single whorl; slightly imbricate. Length: About 1            cm to 1.5 cm. Width: About 0.75 cm to 1.25 cm. Shape:            Elliptic to oval. Apex: Obtuse to slightly retuse. Base:            Obtuse to cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower            surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When opening, upper and            lower surfaces: Close to 145A. Fully opened, upper and lower            surfaces: Close to between 145D and 150D; in the autumn,            color becoming closer to 145C.        -   Pedicels, fertile flowers.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter:            About 1.5 mm. Strength: Strong. Aspect: Mostly upright.            Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 145C.        -   Pedicels, sterile flowers.—Length: About 1. cm to 1.5 cm.            Diameter: About 1.5 mm. Strength: Strong. Aspect: About 80°            to 90° from branch axis. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color:            Close to 157C.        -   Reproductive organs, fertile flowers.—Stamens: Quantity per            flower: About nine to ten. Filament length: About 3 mm.            Filament color: Close to 157D. Anther length: About 1 mm.            Anther shape: Round. Anther color: Close to 157D. Pollen            amount: Moderate. Pollen color: Close to 84D. Pistils:            Pistil quantity per flower: One. Pistil length: About 0.5 mm            to 1 mm. Stigma shape: Three-lobed. Stigma color: Close to            157C. Style length: About 0.5 mm. Style color: Close to            157C. Ovary color: Close to 157C.        -   Reproductive organs, sterile flowers.—Stamens: Quantity per            flower: About three to five. Filament length: About 3 mm.            Filament color: Close to 157D. Anther length: About 1 mm.            Anther shape: Round. Anther color: Close to 157D. Pollen            amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 84D. Pistils: To            date, pistil development on sterile flowers has not been            observed on plants of the new Hydrangea.        -   Seeds, only produced by fertile flowers.—Quantity per            fertile flower: About 20 to 30. Length: Less than 0.5 mm.            Diameter: Less than 0.5 mm. Color: Close to 200C.-   Pathogen & pest resistance: To date, plants of the new Hydrangea    grown under commercial production conditions have not been observed    to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Hydrangea plants.-   Garden performance: Plants of the new Hydrangea have been shown to    have good garden performance and to be tolerant to temperatures    ranging from about −38° C. to about 38° C.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Hydrangea plant named ‘HP219902’ asillustrated and described.